The New Normal. Virtual Assistant Services… Are You Ready?

By Author: Lester Nono
Total Articles: 1
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The year 2020 is indeed a trying time for all of us. With the COVID19 Pandemic kicking in early this year, it has financially impacted businesses and industries. This pandemic has crippled the workforce, and working from home became an immediate solution. This pandemic have caused financial losses to some, but it paved way for businesses to realize the option of sending people to do virtual work. Prior to these events, remote work is already a popular option among many employees and business owners. According to Flexjobs, a leading remote worker platform in the US, growth in remote work grew 44% over the last 5 years. It continued to grow at 91% over the last 10 years, and will boom at 159% in the next 12 years. Based on performance-based remote work statistics, 85% of businesses reported that there is increase of productivity in their company due to greater flexibility of working from home. There is also a study from Amerisleep that says 80% of remote workers experience less job stress compared to regular office employees. Based from these figures, it’s undeniable that virtual assistant support jobs shall soon become a more ...
... in demand option for employers and businesses alike. This option is cost efficient since you will only invest in manpower, and will not be troubled with the cost for equipment and infrastructure. We have indeed entered the age of the “New Normal”, and we are starting to embrace the idea of working from home.

The question now is, how prepared are we for this new normal? Is everyone equipped with virtual assistant skills for the job? If you consider to become a virtual assistant and work from home, you need to be equipped with skills that is required by the clients. There are many local and international clients who are seeking for virtual assistant services. Remote services are getting more in demand nowadays due to the global pandemic. In the Philippines, aside from freelance virtual assistants (like myself), there are also virtual assistant companies that help clients and job seekers looking for remote jobs and employees. Virtual assistant tasks comes in various types. It does not concentrate on one task alone. When you say virtual assistant, it can mean a lot of things. Below are some of the virtual assistant tasks and jobs:

General Virtual Assistance
Content Writing
SEO & Digital Marketing
Social Media
Web Developer
Audio & Video Editor
Customer support
Administrative tasks
Social media marketing
Data entry and management
Accounting and bookkeeping

And many others… there’s more to come as the need arises.

Looking at these opportunities, the chances of landing a job is possible but can also be a challenge if you lack the skills. If you venture into freelancing, skills does matter. It is very important that you are equipped with the skills needed for the job you are applying for. There are available resources you can find online for free, but only limited to basic knowledge. However, there are paid and legit sites where you can enroll to freelancing courses suitable to what clients are looking for. Based on my own experience, I recommend FVA Academy and Udemy as resources. They are providing both the knowledge and the hands-on skills where you can practice what you are training for. With all the learning and training I experienced, I should say that it is worth the investment.

The key to success when it comes to freelancing is possessing the right skills for the job. Prospective clients will find you as a valuable asset to the business if you have the skills. The more skills you have, the more chances of getting valuable clients. Take it to consideration to get trained before you set out to freelancing. Character also matters. Working remotely from home doesn’t mean you will put good character on the shelf. Integrity is such an important character of a remote freelancer. It is where the trust of clients are being established. It is true to the saying that says… “Your attitude determines your altitude.”

I believe that this new normal, virtual/remote services, will continue to evolve and will find to innovate itself as technology changes over time. The question here again is… Are you ready? Now, the next question is… How to start? We will talk more about that on the next blog.

Check out here for more: https://www.virtuarifico.com/my-blog/

Hi, my name is Lester. I am a work from home dad, a husband, and an active Sunday School teacher. I’ve been a remote/virtual assistant for a year now and I am enjoying the journey so far. I am also venturing into SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services and blogging as well. Writing keep me in touch with my inner self and that keeps me in harmony with the things that I do, and the people around me.